As if in an attempt to one-up Wesley Johnson’s “Text Tree” interview picture from yesterday in hilarious caption-ability, our featured writer today is a unicorn Griffin McElroy of AOL-owned Joystiq.com. His most recent achievement was taking the Playstation Network by storm with a meme of diabolical proportions (we can’t speak of it here without offending you, dearest reader) and he was kind enough to respond to our Twitter plea for game writers to answer a few questions on new forms of content delivery. Even if we don’t agree with his crazy/ludicrous feelings about Fable 2′s ending, we do find what he has to say about podcasting quite interesting. Hopefully you will too! And if you’re enjoying these interviews, please let us know! (Maybe enough comments will force a response out of N’Gai Croal — a boy can hope, can’t he?)

(GEEK): As an occasional host on the Joystiq Podcast and a seasoned writer on Joystiq.com, could you explain why you think podcasting is an important approach for journalistic coverage, and more specifically, games journalism?

I think this answer could best be given through the insight of my father, who has worked in radio his entire adult life. He’s seen the industry change over 30-some odd years, from a legitimate, popular source for music and news to a collection of sanitized, corporate entities in decline. He got a Zune for Christmas, his first digital media player, and I quickly introduced him to the world of podcasts. I realized how much our tech-savvy generation takes for granted — my father was bewildered at the prospect of free (to consume and produce) old-school radio roundtables regarding virtually any topic he could ever want to listen to two or three people prattle on about for an hour.

Podcasting is important because it’s opening up the audio broadcast medium to a wider audience than ever before — much like blogging opened up the printed word to the masses in a… Gutenbergian manner (Johannes, not Steve). The more people contribute to the landscape, the more widely accepted the medium becomes. I don’t think it’s too outrageous to claim that within a year, every sizable gaming blog will have a regularly updated podcast, just to stay competitive. The channels of reporting news on the internet are evolving rapidly, and outlets that fail to adapt to said changes will be eaten alive.

That all came off far too dour — I also believe that podcasting is fun. This could just be because my cohorts are genuinely hilarious dudes, but I can’t really think of a better way to spend an hour and a half than to chat about Witch-shooting in Left 4 Dead or the awful ending to Fable 2 with the guys I work with. Not only is it a blast, but it’s helped strengthen the Joystiq community. There’s a Facebook group some 2,100 members strong called the “Joystiq Podcast Appreciation Group” who, in addition to submitting frequently disturbing photoshops of our Podcasters, record their own podcast (the “Joystiq Podcast Appreciation Group Podcast”), which in turn has its own appreciation group. Their fervor is both humbling and terrifying.

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I don’t know about you, dear readers, but there are only three things I ever dream about. Money, power, and eating my way out of a giant Five Guys hamburger. What can I say, these are the simple dreams of a simple man.

The hamburger bed has its own website, which is simply a photograph of said bed, and a Facebook page where you can become friends with it.

That thing is good. I want to be friends with it.

Hamburger Bed via Geekologie
and Fun Vampires

I don’t know what it is, but there is something about awful sounding futuristic science fiction films that I just love. Please see the horrible Babylon AD for a perfect example. So bad, yet I couldn’t stop watching.

Outlander, the upcoming film about a man from the future who has to team up with vikings to fight an alien from the future, has me all kinds of excited. Just listen to the film’s plot description…

Outlander begins when a space craft crashes into the majestic fjords of ancient Norway and into the time of the Vikings. From the wreckage emerge two bitter enemies: a soldier from another world – Kainan – and a bloodthirsty creature known as the Moorwen. Man and monster both seek revenge for violence committed against them.

As the Moorwen ravages the Viking world, killing everything in its path, Kainan forms an unlikely alliance with the primitive but fierce warriors. Combining his advanced technology with ancient Iron Age weapons, the hero leads a desperate attempt to kill the monster – before it destroys them all.

Seriously. I can’t wait. Midnight viewing. Let’s go.

Outlander Poster via I Watch Stuff

How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Roll Pop, Wes? That’s incorrect, I’m sorry — from what we hear, it takes ‘thuree.’ Okay, sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves. The gentleman you see above getting ready to grab you by the face is Wesley Johnson, owner/proprietor/grand poobah/etc. of Insulin Funk. What is Insulin Funk you ask? Well, it’s the depression that sets in from insulin withdrawals when you have diabetes and are jonesin’ for some shots. No! It’s a website dedicated to film, comics, videogames and assorted other media. Aside from his ‘grand poobah’-related responsiblities, Wes is also one of the two main hosts of the JPAGcast, a ‘podcast based on a Facebook group based on a podcast’ that I may or may not have guested on myself a couple of times. His take on new forms of content delivery in game coverage is from the side of a passionate enthusiast — a lot like us. As always, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments

(GEEK): As a freelance journalist and having hosted/been a part of a variety of gaming podcasts, could you explain why you think podcasting is an important approach for games coverage, and more specifically, games journalism?

Gaming news sites are often pigeonholed as enthusiast press, right? Well, enthusiasm can only be reflected so much in the written word. Hearing an “enthusiast” express his or her enthusiasm audibly is often more entertaining than reading their words. That’s not to say podcasting is more valuable than print, though. That’s not true at all. A good podcast will assist your readers in getting to know you which will in turn make them value your writing more.

(GEEK): In your time as a games journalist/games enthusiast, you’ve seen games writers laid off or resign for other ventures (be they game-related or otherwise). It could be said that the cutbacks we’ve seen budget-wise in games journalism are symptomatic of changing business models that are affecting journalism on the whole. In that regard, do you believe publishing entities in games writing are adequately adapting to changing business models?

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I found this in a Google image search, and I just had to use it. Apparently the Kool-Aid Man had his own line of comic books in the 80′s thanks to Marvel. He battled aliens (named the Thirsties) both in space and on the baseball field, and at some point, met Ben Franklin.

Well, the Kool-Aid man is definitely invited to Ben Franklin’s Birthday this Saturday, January 17th at National Mechanics. I just hope he doesn’t mind getting spiked.

The event currently has 75 guests confirmed on Facebook, and we’re expecting a lot more. Why not RSVP, so we know you’re coming? You don’t have to, but we do like the bragging rights.

Drink specials kick off at 9PM. Read all the details here. Hope to see you all there!

Happy Birthday Ben!

Ben Franklin’s B’Day @ National Mechanics
January 17th, 2009: Drink Specials @ 9PM

National Mechanics
22 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA‎
(215) 701-4883
www.nationalmechanics.com

The other day I called your attention to the awesome set of Chrono Trigger magnets. A heated debated followed within the comments of that post. Is Chrono Trigger really the best Super Nintendo game of all time? The answer is, of course, yes. However, Secret of Mana is definitely up there in my top three, along with Final Fantasy III.

Well now we’ve got Secret of Mana magnets, another great SNES RPG, from the same creator of that glorious Chrono Trigger set.

I’ve yet to download Secret of Mana on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console. Anyone download it yet?

Secret of Mana Magnets via Etsy

Yes, yes, it’s a little late in the day to be posting a feature (nearly four in the afternoon may as well be midnight on the interweb) but you must understand: those chocolates needed to be eaten while watching daytime television. They’d have gone bad otherwise! Come on, interweb! Either way, we’re making up for it with an interview in our ongoing “Text Tree” series featuring none other than Joystiq’s Editor-in-Chief Chris Grant. He explained the reasoning behind getting into podcasting for him and how we (as, ‘the media’) are trying — and sometimes failing –  at making new forms of content delivery work. He also gives a shoutout to Stephen Totilo ’cause hey, why not?

Phillyfied Chris Grant fact: Dude lives in Philly! Massive, colossus-sized blog’s Editor-in-Chief lives and works out of Philadelphia. Suck on that, San Francisco! And now, the interview.

(GEEK): As a host/creator of the Joystiq Podcast, could you explain why you think podcasting is an important approach for journalistic coverage, and more specifically, games writing/journalism?

The logic behind starting up the podcast was specifically to present a more casual, laid-back approach to delivering the news. I know what you’re thinking: “But Chris, Joystiq is a blog! You guys had a Star Wars-themed day where you secretly snuck in references all day! Even more casual than that?”

Sounds crazy, right! Here’s the deal: At Joystiq, we write with the editorial “we” and though the more astute readers may parse a personality from each post, most don’t. They visit the site to gather the news and, in turn, we take that responsibility very seriously. On the other hand, we know there are readers who do want a more personal – and more in-depth – take on the news. And thus, the Joystiq Podcast was born from that desire.

Why is it important? Well, I don’t know if I’d say it’s “important” at all – but I would argue it’s valuable. It helps us reach our audience more directly; it helps our audience put personalities to the names they read every day on the site; and, conceptually, it satisfies a need so we can focus on delivering the news in as entertaining a way as possible so readers can study up on, say, the latest first-person shooter instead of parsing who’s who from a dozen different first-person singular pronouns.

Also, people can exercise while listening to them. (Hey, Stephen!)

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Some talented members of the NEOGAF message board decided to host a thread of their favorite moments in video gaming… redone and recreated using only Microsoft Paint.

Of course, a lot of these are what you’d expect, stick figures and awful looking scribbles… but some? Some are seriously amazing. I saved that Mega Man one as a desktop wallpaper.

Have a look. Prepare yourself to be impressed.

Favorite Games in MS Paint via Offworld

So one of my friends sent me a link to Groundhog Dreams, a trippy, hysterical campaign promoting tourism in Pennsylvania around Groundhog Day. I also recieved a neat commemorative plate, honoring five years of Shadow and Groundhog. You’re not the only one who gets free swag, Sweeney!

This year, poor Groundhog is in a coma from a car accident. You can cast your vote on the site as to whether or not Groundhog will pull through, and you can even send him Get Well greetings, leaving him small tokens of your affection and well wishes, which can be viewed in a gallery.

With a wealth of short films detailing Groundhog’s dreams debuting weekly, this is definitely a site I’m keeping bookmarked. Take a look. The first film, Dining on Marmots, definitely freaked me out a little.

Take a look!

Groundhog Dreams
www.groundhogdreams.com

Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Gazette

As you may or may not remember, last Friday we began a series of interviews titled “Text Tree” where we asked WhatTheyPlay’s John Davison and MTV Multiplayer blog’s Stephen Totilo a few questions regarding the role that new forms of content delivery are playing and how changing business models are affecting the way we cover the game industry. We’re kicking off this week with Crispy Gamer’s own Kyle Orland. Hey, didn’t that dude also write a book? Yeah, he totally did (“Wii for Dummies“)! Anyway, he was kind enough to take some time out of his schedule for us and what he said (specifically about changing business models) might surprise you.

(GEEK): As a freelance journalist and having hosted/been a part of a variety of gaming podcasts, could you explain why you think podcasting is an important approach for games coverage, and more specifically, games journalism?

Personally, I find gaming podcasts compelling because they’re the only type of game journalism you can consume WHILE playing a game. In a world where every second spent reading about a game is a second you could be PLAYING a game, this is just efficient time usage. In fact, why are you reading this? Go play a game or something!

On the downside, listening to podcasts while gaming means you can’t listen to the in-game music/sound effects. On the plus side, most game music and sound effects are pretty bad!

(GEEK): In your time as a games journalist/games enthusiast, you’ve seen games writers laid off or resign for other ventures (be they game-related or otherwise). It could be said that the cutbacks we’ve seen budget-wise in games journalism are symptomatic of changing business models that are effecting journalism on the whole. In that regard, do you believe Crispy Gamer or, maybe more importantly, all publishing entities in the games writing are adequately adapting to changing business models?

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YES! Fable II is delivering the first batch of downloadable content in… well, tomorrow! January 13th! Hooray!

For $10, you’ll be able to purchase Knothole Island, a new landmass within the incredible Fable II universe. New scenery, quests, dungeons, and the ability to clothe yourself in full armor?! Color us excited.

Looking forward to breaking into Ben’s house in Albion and stealing his wife. It’ll be like what I did last week, only this time in the world of videogames, and not at his actual house in Philly. Heyo!

Unfortunately, we’re still not able to explore other folks’ Albion without taking on a meaningless avatar during the process. Let’s not even speak about the borked cameara! We loved Fable 2 but co-op ain’t co-op until we’re playing as our own character. Good thing the single player experience is about to get a lot richer!

Fable II DLC Content via Game|Life

During my quest for more geeky gear, I came across this excellent Mario Kart-inspired messenger bag, featuring that notorious blue shell.

Brings back memories of my roommates, who, when a blue shell was fired, would leap up and scream BLUE SHELL! at the top of their lungs. I’m looking forward to some more bags by Etsy seller 16Bit. The Super Mario Bros 3 Boot Goomba pack is also quite nice, though I’m holding off for a Space Invaders satchel.

Mario Kart Blue Shell Bag via Etsy